Patricia Brown joins The City Wire

The City Wire has contracted with Patricia Brown to be director of sales and marketing as part of an overall effort to expand the geographic reach and readership of the web publication.

The City Wire, re-launched in November 2008, is a web publication that covers business, politics and culture in the Fort Smith region. More than 320,000 people have visited the website between November 2008 and September 2010, and they have viewed more than 2.23 million pages.

Brown, who was born in Fort Smith and previously served as executive director of the Fort Smith Classic, will work to develop new business for The City Wire, expand the website brand to more people and communities in the region, and work with businesses, non-profits and other groups to design effective online advertising and sponsorship campaigns.

“I look forward to bringing The City Wire brand to the forefront of the entire community, and utilizing The City Wire in connecting the community through advertising and community relations,” Brown said.

Brown’s background in community, business and charitable work is extensive and impressive.

One of her first successes was with the Memphis office of the Make-A-Wish Foundation. As director of the foundation’s work in Arkansas, north Mississippi and west Tennessee, Brown helped secure more than 2,000 wishes for deserving children.

Her ability to think beyond the traditional marketing and promotion efforts attracted celebrities, donors, volunteers and employees in building a successful organization that provided hope, strength, and joy for children facing dire health situations. During her tenure, Brown built an impressive financial reserve and orchestrated two mergers that brought competing wish granting organizations into one.

The mid-south Make-A-Wish chapter grew during Brown’s leadership from a small budget and granting 50 wishes in 1992, to a $2.8 million budget and granting about 275 wishes in 2004.

The John Daly Celebrity Golf Classic was the largest of annual Make-A-Wish Foundation of the Mid-South’s fund raising events. She coordinated Daly’s charitable events for 12 years. In total, her fundraising efforts with John Daly raised $3 million for charities. In 2004, at Daly’s request, she launched the John Daly Charitable Foundation.

Tom Kirkham, publisher of TCW Media, said Brown is a great fit with the long-term plans in the TCW business model. Those plans, Kirkham said, include several strategic expansions in 2011.

“We are fortunate and excited to have Patricia and her energy and ideas focused on improving and expanding The City Wire,” said Tom Kirkham, publisher of TCW Media. “She is the part of the team we’ve been missing. We have great content and we have a great technology platform, and now we have the person with the vision, time and passion to help us move to the next level.”

Besides fighting for community causes, Brown has also battled breast cancer. She moved home in September 2007 to successfully finish her fight.

“I am happy to be alive, living, and now working in Fort Smith, Arkansas,” Brown said.

During the past three years, she served as the executive director of the Fort Smith Classic a Nationwide PGA Tour event. The Nationwide Tour in 2008 acknowledged the Fort Smith Classic as a benchmark in branding and marketing under her vision. Brown was personally recognized in 2009 for starting a new initiative, Pink on the Links — a day dedicated to raising awareness about breast cancer during the Fort Smith Classic.

Brown joins a growing number of people associated with The City Wire. In addition to publisher Tom Kirkham, The City Wire support staff and independent contractors and freelancers includes:
• Adam Brandt, restaurant critic
• Marla Cantrell, freelance writer
• Amanda Carson, freelance writer
• Ruby Dean, freelance writer and photographer
• Roy Hill, freelance writer
• Linda Kaufenberg, freelance writer and photographer
• Peter Lewis, movie and music reviews
• Shayne McKinney, sales and technical support
• Jake McTyre, technical support
• Aric Mitchell, freelance writer
• Anita Paddock, book reviews
• Joel Rafkin, freelance writer and photographer
• Michael Tilley, editor

The City Wire also has formed and continues to benefit from content partnerships with KFSM 5 News, Little Rock-based Talk Business and College Sports Matchups.

To contact Brown or to get information on how to get your business more connected to potential customers, call 461-8773 or email her at [email protected]